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Head-to-head Updated

Continental Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat vs Michelin Pilot Sport 4 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 0 + 21 road tests and 33 + 12,691 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Sport 4 is ahead, 82–62

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Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Tire BMichelin

Pilot Sport 4

Summer

Tests 84 · 21 tests Owners 74 · 12,691 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 45 in 2019 Summer 53 Tyre Braking Shootout (dry braking)

“Those are Pilot sport 4 (all season). If it had s after the 4 it would be the summer high performance version. I put the pilot sport 4 on wife's GTI autobahn 2016. Great handling tire, stiff side walls, not the smoothest ride but best overall.”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 66

    Dry

    Pilot Sport 4 +20
    86
    Why this score
    SourceSport Contact 5 SSR RunflatPilot Sport 4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 20 tests≈ 66 (est.)89
    Reviews found online6481

    Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 64.4 = 66

    Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 88.5 + 40% × 81.1 = 86

    No road tests of dry for Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 65

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 4 +22
    87
    Why this score
    SourceSport Contact 5 SSR RunflatPilot Sport 4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 20 tests≈ 66 (est.)92
    Reviews found online6481

    Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 63.5 = 65

    Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 91.5 + 40% × 80.5 = 87

    No road tests of wet for Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 58

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 4 +20
    78
    Why this score
    SourceSport Contact 5 SSR RunflatPilot Sport 4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests≈ 65 (est.)83
    Reviews found online4871

    Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat: 60% × 65.4 (est.) + 40% × 47.6 = 58

    Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 83.2 + 40% × 71.3 = 78

    No road tests of comfort for Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  4. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    73
    Why this score
    SourceSport Contact 5 SSR RunflatPilot Sport 4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 13 tests–73
    Reviews found online–73

    Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 73.2 + 40% × 72.8 = 73

  5. 50

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 4 +20
    70
    Why this score
    SourceSport Contact 5 SSR RunflatPilot Sport 4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 57 (est.)76
    Reviews found online3961

    Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat: 60% × 57.4 (est.) + 40% × 38.8 = 50

    Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 76.3 + 40% × 61 = 70

    No road tests of treadwear for Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  6. 61

    Handling (owners)

    Pilot Sport 4 +17
    78
    Why this score
    SourceSport Contact 5 SSR RunflatPilot Sport 4
    Reviews found online6178
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental Sport Contact 5 SSR RunflatMichelin Pilot Sport 4
Relative Score 62 82
Dry 66 86
Wet 65 87
Comfort 58 78
Noise – 73
Treadwear 50 70
Handling (owners) 61 78

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score

Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat

Pilot Sport 4

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat

Pros

  • Exceptional dry and wet grip with responsive handling
  • Precise steering feedback and cornering stability
  • Acts as a reliable, secure OEM choice for European sport sedans and SUVs

Cons

  • Rapid tread wear and short overall lifespan
  • Firm, harsh ride quality that transmits impacts over rough roads and potholes
  • Elevated road noise as the tires age
All owner themes in the Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat review

Tire B Pilot Sport 4

Pros

  • Exceptional wet and dry traction with outstanding resistance to aquaplaning
  • Noticeable improvement in ride comfort and a reduction in cabin noise compared to standard run-flat tires
  • Progressive and predictable breakaway limits during spirited driving

Cons

  • Faster-than-average treadwear, particularly under aggressive driving or on rear-wheel-drive performance cars
  • Softer sidewalls can lead to a slight lack of initial steering precision and a vague feel at the limit for hardcore enthusiasts
  • Performance drops off significantly in cold, freezing, or snowy winter conditions
All owner themes in the Pilot Sport 4 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Continental Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Michelin Pilot Sport 4

Positive

The community widely regards the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 line as a premium upgrade offering exceptional dry and wet grip, precise handling, and superior ride comfort compared to OEM or run-flat tires. While celebrated for performance, users frequently discuss its high price tag, faster treadwear, and noticeable drop in EV efficiency. Some drivers also note increased road noise and reduced traction when temperatures drop near freezing.

r/CarTrackDays ·1 upvote ·2020-07-03

“The Pilot Sport 4's are great tires for dual duty use. You'll want to keep hot pressures below 37-38 PSI. Anything above that they get very greasy, very fast. In the cars I've driven with them (a few BMW M cars, a 911 I think if I remember), you'll usually set your best laps in the first 4-5 laps of a session depending on temps. Once they over heat heat, as with any street tire, you have to park them for an hour to get the temps down again (downside to steel radials). I'd also recommend Hankook RS4s if you want a more durable track tire. That's what I run. Very long lasting, but not as great in the wet as the PS4s would be. Road noise would also be an issue for street use.”
r/tires ·2 upvotes ·2026-07-28

“Those are Pilot sport 4 (all season). If it had s after the 4 it would be the summer high performance version. I put the pilot sport 4 on wife's GTI autobahn 2016. Great handling tire, stiff side walls, not the smoothest ride but best overall.”
camaro6.com

“Stock run flats are stiff ,went 555g2 in 285/30/20 & 305/30/20 on mrr’s for 1,200 miles on recommendation of friend with a gen 5. I thought they were noisy & less grip & little rough, tire shop bought them back as take offs. After researching between ps4 & cont. extreme contact sports, went with continental and love them. A friend went with the ps4 and they are pretty equal in ride comfort,grip and noise. All personal preference, but I’d go continental or ps4.”
Top themes
#Wet and dry grip#Run-flat replacement upgrade#Treadwear and longevity#Cold weather performance#Road noise and comfort#EV range and efficiency#Comparison to Continental tires

Based on 246 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—62
Rim diameters—16″ – 20″

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat

Michelin Pilot Sport 4

Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 — better wet, dry and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 87 vs 65 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 86 vs 66 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 78 vs 58 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 70 vs 50 on treadwear.

Tire A · Continental Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat
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Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4
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Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat or Pilot Sport 4?

Which is better in the wet, Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat or Pilot Sport 4?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 87 vs 65 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat or Pilot Sport 4?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 86 vs 66 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat or Pilot Sport 4?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 78 vs 58 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Sport Contact 5 SSR Runflat or Pilot Sport 4?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 70 vs 50 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology